Dinner Recipes

There used to be a tiny, unassuming café tucked behind a used bookstore in Portland called The Gilded Gourd that made this soup. It wasn’t … Read more

I was elbow-deep in a pile of tax receipts last February—a task I put off until the absolute last minute, as one does—when my accountant, … Read more

My neighbor Carol wasn’t trying to impress anyone. I’d stopped by to borrow a ladder—mine had mysteriously vanished after a garage sale—and the smell of … Read more

The Thanksgiving potluck at my office was in six hours and I’d completely forgotten. I mean, completely. I’d signed up for “side dish” two weeks … Read more

I was standing in the parking lot of a hardware store last October when the smell hit me — someone nearby was smoking a turkey … Read more

My friend Jenna asked why I couldn’t just skip the peeling and slice the squash into rings instead of cubes. I was in the middle … Read more

My neighbor asked why I couldn’t just stir a block of cream cheese into the chili instead of making a roux and adding heavy cream. … Read more

This was supposed to be butternut squash soup. I had the whole thing mapped out in my head—a big, beautiful butternut, some stock, a little … Read more

I was standing in line at the hardware store, of all places, holding a single lightbulb and wondering why they only had one register open. … Read more

The company potluck was in six hours and I’d completely forgotten. Everyone else would be bringing their signature dishes—Lisa’s famous lasagna, Mark’s slow-cooked brisket, Sarah’s … Read more